Authority

Jesus came and told His disciples, "I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20

My first thought when I heard these verses be read in church this morning was "not again." It's one of those verses that one hears over and over again. Sometimes I feel like repetition dulls meaning. One hears something so often that they roll their eyes, assume that there is nothing new they can learn from it, become bored. As it turned out, we aren't having a sermon today:a deacon is giving his testimony from mission trips.

But something new occurred to me upon reading these familiar verses, particularly because it is a week after Resurection Sunday. Jesus has all authority. God gave it to Him.

The message that my peers, teachers, employers, coworkers, media, etc. would have me believe is that I have no authority. I shouldn't talk about my faith. I should be angry with the people who have authority over me. But that is not at all what Jesus says. He says that HE has the authority. He is giving His disciples that same authority. The disciples that are created by Jesus' disciples are also given that same authority. I have authority. God gave it to me through Jesus.

We hold these truths to be self-evident... but do Christians act as if they have authority? I don't. I don't think I'm alone in that. Maybe that's a sin. I don't know how I should act (turn the other cheek?), whether humility and pride can coexist. I don't have all the answers... I am still looking for them.

Women's Rights

I don't post about political issues much anymore. There is more than one reason for this...I feel that others are better informed/more articulate about the subject, I don't wish to offend friends/family, it seems redundant, I feel ill-equipped to participate in a full scale debate, or I don't feel smart enough post-Bell's Palsy. But sometimes I just get this feeling that won't let me stay silent. Writing is what I turn to in order to express myself in an articulate way because orally so much gets in the way. My lisp and my inability to come up with quick enough answers are the two biggest examples.

A couple of days ago a family member commented on an image someone shared on Facebook. Her praise of the quote surprised me because if it were not for two little words at the bottom I would have assumed that the quote was of one Rush Limbaugh.  That President Obama would say such a thing is something that I probably shouldn't find surprising on an election year, but I did.

Democrats do not have a monopoly on Women's Rights. No political party or religion or philosophy can. My gut tells me that he's simply trying to sound more conservative so that he can be reelected. My brain is telling me that he is blatantly lying. The only equality that women will receive in Obamacare is that everyone's right to make decisions about what care they receive will be equally limited by the "death" panels that Obamacare empowers.

Mr. President, I am perfectly capable of making my own health decisions. Why then were you one of the architects of a plan to take my choices away?

I stand by my response on Facebook: Death panels are for everyone. But taking my freedom away in the name of equality...that I will never agree with.  The majority of people who don't have healthcare don't want healthcare...and under your plan I am certainly one of them.

changes

I have now graduated from Mesa State College as of May 15, 2011. I hope that this means some upcoming changes for my portfolio. I would like to graduate to WordPress but until i find work i'm not sure that is feasible. I'd also like to update my portfolio with more (and newer) examples of my work. Stay posted for some updates that are almost certainly coming soon.

political apologetics

This is something i wrote for my personal blog: political apologetics

Doctor Who fanfiction

i've been writing some Doctor Who stories lately, which is nice because i haven't been writing much of anything outside of school lately.

The Confluence of Fate Part 1 Part 2
Echoes in the Library
Unshed Tears and a Smile

job application

Today i applied for the Hunter Columnist position at WoW.com. The story i wrote for them was incomplete, but still longer than the 500 words they asked for. i will most likely finish it later today and post it at Everything Happens for a Reason. i must confess that this is actually the first writing job that i have ever applied for and i have been wrestling with nerves all week, which i didn't have a lot of time to focus on as i was in the midst of finals. i will update if / when i hear any news.

previous writings

Here is a short list of stories and essays that i have written in the past: it is not all inclusive, but hopefully includes some of my better works.

Entertainment Reviews
Dark Angel "Blah Blah Woof Woof"
Dark Angel "Pollo Loco"
Harry Potter and the Onion Forward
Harry Potter "The Boy Who Lived"
Harry Poter "Hardened Hearts"
The Holiday
Night of the Lepus
PotC: At World's End
V for Vendetta

Essays
Christian Themes in Beowulf
Google Goes Wireless: an Analysis
Internet Grammar
Musings on Body Image
The Presumed Decay of the English Language
Protest
Re: Waiting
Standard English
That's a Bad Word?

Star Trek Voyager fanfiction
9 Days
Peeping Tom, Shroy Tuvok